Category Archives: BLOG en

EGO

August 11, 2019 Jeff Chane-Mouye 3 Comments

This photo was made along the cornice between the Vallon des Auffes and the beach of Catalans in Marseille. I have just returned from 3 days in the Phocean city. Friends lent me their apartment and I was able to walk during these few days the streets of Marseilles. When I started Street Photography and I was bored in Aix, I went to Marseille to satisfy my need for exoticism. Convinced that if my photos were not good it was because of Aix-en-Provence which was too small … For those who follow my work, you know that 99% of my work is now done in the streets Aix. For more than two years, I do not go to Marseille to take pictures. The grass is not greener elsewhere.

I started a project called EGO some time ago. You can have a look in the SERIES section. You’ll tell me it’s just a selfie project ! For me it’s more than that. I did not start this project because I had a massive ego and I wanted to shout aloud : me Me ME ! I have always had a problem with my image and I enjoy myself only rarely on a photo. Maybe that’s why I like being on the other side of the viewfinder. It’s also hard for me to feel comfortable when I’m in the center of attention. Just for the anecdote; at our farewell party, I had to give a speech in front of nearly 80 people. Even if they were friends, I was pretty uncomfortable. People told me that it did not show. It’s normal, I put up the front but deep in me I just wanted to go hide myself !

This EGO project is therefore a challenge for me. Succeed to accept myself in photo. I brought back two pictures of my recent stay in Marseille. The entrance to my friends’ apartment was right in front of the elevator. An elevator they do not use elsewhere because they stay on the ground floor. The light is always on in the cabin and a mirror is inside. I suppose we often put mirrors in the elevators so claustrophobic people do not feel oppressed by the cramped space. Anyway, this mirror allowed me to play with my reflection. It was the day of my departure that I had the idea to use masks hanging around my friend’s apartment. You can see on the photos below, the evolution of my work during these 3 days. The last picture is the one I selected. I tilted my head a little, which gives a little creepy side or toxic aspect to the photo.

The opening photo is a classic with a small difference. I had spotted this window with this huge impact. Many people would have tried to align the impact on a passer-by. Not me. From the beginning, I knew it was my head that had to be covered by the impact. No need to sit on a sofa to analyze this approach. I just thought it was very aesthetic and it worked well with my EGO project. I had on my back the blue sky which offered me a beautiful uniform reflection. The focus was made on the glass in macro mode. I waited for people to complete my composition to click. Even though there was no crowd passing on this sidewalk, I still could get what I wanted. Including two people including one of them who looks at me asking what I was doing.

It’s very egocentric as a procedure. So don’t we say that in street photography, even if we photograph others, in the end, it is ourselves that we reveal in our photos ? My photos tell a lot about who I am and how I feel when I take pictures.

All photos were made with the Ricoh GR and the Ricoh GRD 4.

BLOG en, Slideshow, What You Haven't Seen

What you haven’t seen #5.

July 31, 2019 Jeff Chane-Mouye 2 Comments

When I knew that I had my transfer to Reunion Island, I told myself that I would have another year to document the streets of Aix-en-Provence. But in the end I am less than 3 months from my final departure for the tropics and I have the impression not to have spent much time in the streets of Aix … I must say that since early 2019, I travelled a lot. We went for 3 weeks to Reunion island, I went 1 week in Bristol and spent a few days in Paris (family and solo). And next to that, we had the sale of our house and also the move to manage. So many things that occupied my mind.

I wrote a lot of Blogs about Reunion, Bristol and Paris. In the end, I shared many photos of these trips and very few photos of Aix-en-Provence. This is quite normal, since almost all my spare time in Aix-en-Provence has been used for the sale of the house and also the move. But I also know that I was very lucky to have been able to go to Bristol and Paris alone to do Street Photography. Me who always said that the grass was not greener elsewhere, I must say that it feels good to go elsewhere because we leave our comfort zone and it’s refreshing !

For several months, I had neglected my playground Aix-en-Provence. I, who love so much roaming in the crowded streets of Aix during summer, put all that aside to enjoy my children and my wife before they leave early August. We will be separated for 2 months and a half because I have to finish some training here before leaving for Reunion. As the school year starts in mid-August, my wife and children have to leave earlier. My wife tells me that I will have time only for myself ! Shes’ right. Although I will miss them, I see the good side of things. I will be able to make photo without constraints (week-end with the children, to pick them up at the school …).

I intend to take advantage of these moments by continuing to document the streets of Aix-en-Provence, but not only ! I will also spend a few days in Marseille, Roma, Corsica and also in Toulouse where I will spend 3 weeks of training. Beautiful holidays in perspective ! Since last May, I have not had the opportunity to share many photos of Aix-En-Provence. Even if my outings in the city were scarce, I took advantage of every moment available to use my Ricoh GR.

I compiled in a slideshow about fifty unshared photos. All these photos were made in Aix-en-Provence except for some that were taken in La Ciotat by the sea. I realize that I shared many photos of my recent stays and very few photos of Aix. Most of the photos are in B&W while I basically brought back color photos of my recent trips. As if Aix-en-Provence rhymed with the B&W for me. For more than 2 years, I only documented the streets of Aix in B&W. I have trouble seeing this city with colors while it is a place bathed in light. I’m happy to put Aix in the spotlight with this slideshow.

All the photos were made with the Ricoh GR.

BLOG en, T.M.E Project

Finally the Bristol T.M.E !

July 28, 2019 Jeff Chane-Mouye 2 Comments

It’s been three months since these videos were made in Bristol and I finally edited them! Yes, if you have not realized it yet, I procrastinate a lot … I took advantage of this week to do a lot of Street Photography and I also met John Harper who made him on his side a lot of pictures in the city of Bath. I invite you to reread my previous Blogs relating to Bristol and Bath.

These videos have already been posted on my YouTube Channel for several weeks but I did not have time to write a Blog to keep you informed. I take advantage of this blogpost to share a video made not too long ago in the streets of Aix. Moreover for the record, I decided to change my equipment because my cheap action cam that I bought a while ago has no stabilizer and I feel nausea when I look at these videos … So I bought myself a GoPro and I’m waiting to receive my new toy before going on the streets of Aix-en-Provence !

BLOG en

I shoot for myself !

July 21, 2019 Jeff Chane-Mouye 4 Comments

It’s been a while since I wrote anything. I did not have much to say and I am in a state of transition right now. Significant changes are happening right now in my life and I have very little time to devote to my blog. Photo is also a little complicated because I had a lot to manage and I had no time to spend on the street. But you know what ? We touch the goal ! This month of June was very busy. We had to deal with the preparations for the move, the children’s farewell parties, our farewell party and of course the move itself. We are happy to have this behind us … We had to clean the house for future owners. We cleaned it from floor to ceiling. It was our way of saying goodbye to this house where our children were born and where we spent 10 wonderful years. Besides Ronan, our youngest son was very moved when leaving his house.

As I told you, I did not have much time to hang out in the streets of Aix-en-Provence. There is a time for everything … I tried to enjoy all the tiny moments that were within my reach to keep clicking. I even made some T.M.E videos again that I did not have time to edit yet. A series of 3 videos of the same street at 3 times of the day (9am, noon and 5pm). Just to see how the city changed according to the time. This series was made during a single day where I took advantage of my breaks to quickly make some photos (and videos!) In Aix. I had less than 30 mins for each session and I had to work in a hurry, but as often for these videos, the result does not matter. The interest is simply to show you the street through my eyes.

Recently, a friend asked me how many photos I had of the streets of Aix-en-Provence. I did not know what to answer … I told myself that if I had answered “thousands”, I would go for a freak and yet I think we are more in “tens of thousands” … I just evaded saying that I had “a lot”. I preferred to engage in saying that I had quite a few photos of which I was particularly proud. I leaned a few months ago on my work by doing a sort of introspection. Since then, the photos are piling up on my computer and I do not have the time but also the strength to sort all these photos. Moreover, I should update my portfolio and also the slideshow on the front page of my site.

My friend asked me another interesting question: “What am I going to do with all these pictures? “. I found myself a little stupid, because this innocuous question sent me back a few months back where I tried to answer the question “Why Street Photography”. Almost all of my work is confidential. I spent some time on Facebook, Instagram or other sharing platforms, but for several months I’ve been away from social networks. So, why do all these photos if they will not be seen or shared ?

I deleted my Facebook account last November and it’s been 3 months since I did the same with Instagram. These few months away from social networks have appeased me. Just look at my Blogs. I found many topics in the practices that I saw through social networks. Since I am “disconnected”, I do not see these behaviors that bristled me so much the hair. More Blogs so I spent my time bitching to denounce certain practices. These few months away from Social Networks also confirmed that I was doing Street Photography for me and no one else. I do not do this to be known, for glory. The confidentiality in which I indulge is one of the proofs.

Another friend of mine told me that for him the goal was to show his pictures at exhibitions. It is true that it flatters the ego to see his pictures hung in a showroom, but precisely for what reason does one really exhibit ? Is there a message that we want to pass or is especially a question of vanity. Personally I do not really want for the moment and anyway no one offered me to expose. Well it is not quite true … I was offered to exhibit in the library of my village in Jouques, but I did not really want.

I never liked being in the light so much as to say that it is not today the day before that you will see me launching into an exhibition. I still do not feel like I haven’t gone back to the first base. There is a time for everything as I said and it is not the moment. There is something that tempts me nevertheless, it is the self-production of a book devoted to these almost four years spent walking the streets of Aix-en-Provence. This is a chapter that will end in a few months and it will be time to take stock of this period. It’s just an idea that has crossed my mind, but I do not know yet if I’ll finish this project.

For the rest, I almost want to say that it’s like the Blogs that I write. It is primarily for me that I do it. All these reflections I have in my articles are just a way to organize my thoughts about photography and about life in general. For photos, I find satisfaction in the process: walk around the streets. In an increasingly dehumanized and individualistic society, being attentive to what is happening around me, allows me to feel alive and to be part of this world. For a moment, I looked for the extraordinary on the street as if I needed that to prove to everyone that I was doing Street Photography. A little in search of a kind of legitimacy, I wanted to show that I knew how to observe the little details of the street that nobody pays attention to. Bullshit! Street Photography is mundane. Sometimes there is something unusual happening, but 95% of the time, I only photograph mundane things and that’s what I like. I do not photograph to please others, I don’t follow trendy things. It’s stupid to say but I only shoot for myself !

All the photographs were made with the ricoh GR.

BLOG en, Slideshow

YouTube Channel

June 30, 2019 Jeff Chane-Mouye 2 Comments

Some time ago, I decided to create my YouTube channel. A way to host my T.M.E videos but also my slideshows on the platform of Google. The main reason was to free up bandwidth on my hosting site, may also be able to post bigger videos because WordPress only allows videos up to 100 MB. Videos are also smoother because hosted by YouTube.

This channel is unpretentious and besides, as you can see, I only have 12 subscribers and most of them are friends ! At the moment I have very little time to write blogs with the move. Besides, I have almost no opportunity to go take pictures. There is a time for everything and at the moment, it is mainly the move that takes up all my time. I was planning to write more Blogs on my Parisian weekend which was very rich, but I do not have the time and make a slideshow to share the photos seems more appropriate.

I am aware that some photos deserve a little more attention than 3 seconds drowned in a slideshow, but I miss the time and at least I would have shared even if they are not highlighted. You can find the related slideshow from Paris below.

Some weeks ago, I also compiled a slideshow What you have not seen # 4 and I did not have time to share it. You’ll find it on my YouTube channel or else below. The photos are not immemorial, even rather forgettable, but as I have often said, these imperfect photos are useful to understand what has not worked and what remains to improve.

You can subscribe to my YouTube Channel here.

BLOG en

Little Hong-Kong

June 28, 2019 Jeff Chane-Mouye 2 Comments

Two weeks ago, I went to Paris to attend the Tokyo Sense exhibition by Elizabeth Char. I allowed myself this little trip in the capital before attacking the last preparations for the move. I was hosted at Eli for the occasion. She lives in the 14th arrondissement of Paris a few streets from the 13th. When I was a student, I used to spend my holidays at my uncle’s house who lived in Athis-Mons. I remember a few trips to Tang Frères, the great specialist in Asian imports that is in the middle of in Paris Chinatown. Moreover it is rather an Asian district with mainly Vietnamese because the Chinese are rather on the side of Belleville and Le Sentier.

I vaguely remembered the neigborhood. I decided to spend some time in this area to try to discover it and for the occasion to do some Street Photography. It was Saturday and it was swarming with people. What captivated me was these huge building blocks. I spotted an escalator that seemed to lead to a rather shabby mall. Besides, most shops had the curtain lowered. I continued to wander through these dirty and empty hallways and I ended up on a large esplanade in the middle of these famous towers. I learned later that this place was called Les Olympiades. In relation of course to the Olympic Games. There was a flea market that day and there were people everywhere. What interested me most of all was these gigantic towers. I had a hard time making photos by integrating people as well as towers.

I took a little height by taking a small staircase that led to the roof of the small mall. It was another esplanade that allowed me to have a much better view of this set of towers and bars that date back to 1960. The show was striking and it’s like a little Hong Kong. I stayed a moment to contemplate this urban landscape. Some children had fun playing football on the esplanade, but I did not want to be too intrusive to take pictures of them. The neighborhood is relatively popular and poor and it seemed to me that there was a red line not to cross. I just made pictures of this place by incorporating them into my compositions.

I continued my wanderings in the middle of the esplanade Les Olympiades gleaning here and there some pictures. While looking for a place to have a snack, I came across a large parking lot where crowded with a lot of people. I stayed there for a moment because the place was ideal for photos. I was inspired by a photographer that I like very much (@YiannisYiasaris) by positioning myself very low to take low-angle shots. I wanted to show the verticality of the place.

I enjoyed walking in this area because it breathed life and it was authentic. People come here to do their shopping. It does not seem to me to have crossed many tourists. It is also a very exotic place. We even feel from time to time not to be in France because the people around me spoke languages that flourished Asia.

All the photographs were made with the Ricoh GR in Paris.

Behind this shot, BLOG en

Behind this shot : Jeu de mains.

June 20, 2019 Jeff Chane-Mouye 4 Comments

Since I started in this new section Behind this shot, I am aware that I remove all the mystery that can surround some photos. It’s a bit like a magician who would show how his tricks are done. It’s like giving titles to my photos., I do not like it. I wrote a long time ago a blog on it UNTITLED. I prefer to let the reader interpret the picture. With this new section, I reveal what is behind some photos. We can say that it has an educational side.

In the street, I am very sensitive to gestures. They bring life to a photo and make it less static. This is not enough to make a good photo but it’s already a good start. In the streets of Paris, I was perfectly aware of unusual gestures. I had already done a series on hands called Hands Tale some time ago. You can read it here.

Let’s go back to the opening photo of this Blog. I will first tell you why I like this picture so much. A good photo for me is a photo that questions the reader. If we manage to capture the attention is that the photo is successful. Here it is difficult to understand what is happening. The two protagonists are not recognizable. The old lady seems to have her hands in front of her face to protect herself and the other person in the foreground with her green and yellow shirt seems a little threatening. We are also likely to have two individuals of different ages. That’s the beauty of Street Photography. This photo is a snapshot of what happened in the street. Without context and without explanation, the reader is obliged to make his own interpretation of the story. Or else take the picture as it is with its mysterious feel.

So what exactly is this photo ? It’s actually a pretty simple scene that happened in front of me. You can see on the picture that the place was crowded and that there were a lot of people. This young man in the shirt just accidentally ran into the lady and he apologized. All in all, I would have taken 3 pictures of this scene. This is one of the benefits of using now the Ricoh GR. The buffer of the camera is much better than that of the Ricoh GRD 4 that I used before. If I was with my Ricoh GRD 4, I couldn’t capture this scene because I need no less than 2 seconds between two shutters click.

All the photographs were made with the Ricoh GR.

Behind this shot, BLOG en

Behind this shot : The pink dot.

June 18, 2019 Jeff Chane-Mouye 2 Comments

I made this picture in the Opera district while I was going to meet Christophe Mousset near the metro station Aubert. I was for the weekend in the capital to attend the exhibition of Tokyo Sense from Elizabeth Char and I took the opportunity to do some Street Photography in Paris for two days. You will know more about it in an upcoming Blog.

The place was swarming with crowds of people who were taking pictures or selfies with the Opera behind them. It was a mess on the sidewalks but also on the road because it was Friday 4pm and it honked all the way. People were insulting each others while driving, cars were loose in the middle of the road, blocking other vehicles … In short there was animation. It was not to displease me. I like the tumult of the street. There is some energy and tension floating in the air. In the middle of all this, I saw a Japanese tourist appear in the distance in traditional clothes.

The crazy thing is that almost nobody paid attention to her. It is to wonder if the Parisians are not a little jaded and do not pay more attention to what is happening around them. Note, there must be mainly tourists around me … She was accompanied by a guide who also took pictures at her request. This lady was really very beautiful with her traditional dress. As you can see, I tried to make close-ups without being too intrusive not to bother her. The good thing about Paris is that there are so many people that you find yourself quite close to them in touristic areas. This was the case here in front of the Opera Garnier.

I tried to integrate this lady in a composition but it did not work. I did not see anything interesting. That’s when she opened her little Japanese umbrella. I had this vision of this pink circle that hid my Japanese. In the end my main character was no longer visible, but I found very beautiful this pink umbrella that attracts the first look.

This moment was fleeting because rather quickly, she put the umbrella over her head to ask for her guide to take a picture. I like this picture because it has a mysterious feel. Composition is not the most important thing here. I lingered a little beside them, but not much happened. I just got closer to make a close-up.

All the photographs were made with the Ricoh GR.

BLOG en

Time to relax …

June 12, 2019 Jeff Chane-Mouye 4 Comments

Since we returned from our vacation on Reunion Island last February, we are in an active phase for our move. Quasi military preparations to be ready in early July when all our stuff will leave in a container for the tropics. The house was on our minds and has generated a lot of stress. I had some work to finish for the sale of the house and the signing of the sales agreement was delayed because of a diagnosis that we lacked. It’s been a little over 10 days since we finally signed and we can finally focus on the cardboards …

We did not wait for the signature to start packing up eveything. It’s been a while since we sort our stuff to define what we’re going to keep and what we’re going to get rid of. And I can tell you that I have made trips back and forth to the dump … A lot of things have ended up in the dumpster and even more things have been recovered by an association that will surely recycle and sell what we do not need anymore. It feels good to empty. We tend to accumulate things, especially when we have a big house and room to store. We had already done a garage sale 3 years ago, but there was still a lot of useless things in the drawers and cupboards.

We have finally finished the sorting and it remains only to finish the boxes. We have the impression that there are still many things, but we still have 4 weeks to spend in the house. There is no point packing everything now. Especially children’s toys. The last weekends have been spent sorting in our business. Children do not really understand why we are so busy. We do not go out anymore because we have a lot to do. This weekend lasted 3 days with the Monday off. After working Saturday and Sunday on the move, we decided to take a break on Monday and take the kids out.

Direction Corbi Park which is 30 mins from us. This is not the first time we go there. There are some pens with birds (chickens, ducks, geese, peacocks …) but also rabbits, donkeys, goats. But what really interests children is the inflatable structures. and as the beautiful days are back, there are the water games. Unfortunately we had forgotten to take bathing suits. No worries, we sent them to have fun with their shorts while preserving their underpants and t-shirts for the return by car. They spent 4 hours having fun like crazy in the structures.

They spent most of their time in the structures ! It’s quite impressive thinking back because at no time there was weariness. It was non-stop slips for 3 hours. A good moment of release for them. We were happy to see them having fun. A little respite also for us because we had the head in the boxes for a while.

This Blog has a direct link with the previous one where I spoke to you about photographing children in the street. This is still the case here because I made many pictures of my children having fun, but also other children. Here, it was even more delicate than in the street because the little ones were in swimsuits, as at the beach. Some will say that I have no limit. I think it must be done respectfully. The thing is, it’s stronger than me. These are the situations that dictate my shot, not the fact that they are children or adults. There was action, laughter, color and tgehre were people ! When you do Street Photography, you do not wait to go out into town to do Street Photography. You do it anywhere ! This is the case for me. It’s a state of mind.

This photo above is my favorite of this day. Would you like to know if I was splashed ? Well, a little … As usual, I like to be very close to my subjects especially when there is water (I refer you to a previous blog about a Ricoh GRD 4 that would have taken a little the water …). I love this picture because there is energy and action. This photo sums up pretty well the atmosphere present around the structures during this day. My Ricoh GR works normally, finally for now …

All the photographs were made with the Ricoh GR.

Behind this shot, BLOG en

Behind this shot : Happy kid.

June 5, 2019 Jeff Chane-Mouye 5 Comments

I made this photo last week. I spotted this little girl with her windmill on the Place de la Mairie. My attention was attracted by laughter from children. The streets of Aix-en-Provence are more and more frequented by tourists enjoying the pre-season. Given the current temperatures, we quickly believe that it’s summer ! The two little girls were dressed identically and had fun with their windmills. At the time of tablets, video games or other addictive screens, it was refreshing to see that a simple windmill could give them as much pleasure. Do you have the right to take pictures of children in public places ?

Legal point of view

Children have a different image right compare to adults in the sense that their parents are the custodians of this right. As for adults, nothing legally forbids us to take their photos, but what is problematic, of course, is to make these photos public. For adults, case law has been handed down in disputes between street photographers and people who complained that their image right was violated (because they appeared in photographs). Freedom of artistic expression takes precedence over individual freedom (in public places) insofar as the photo does not undermine the dignity of the person photographed or causes them harm. The same goes for children.

Ethical point of view

Like many people, I am a father of two young children. How would I react if someone took a picture of them ? I will be honest with you, it would surprise me. The problem is that we are now living in a society that has lost its innocence. Blame it on all these sordid stories where children have been abused. Our society has become very suspicious and generally we are wary of any unusual behavior with children. Me first, I am very attentive to what is happening around my children in public places. Taking pictures of children in street photography is pretty tricky. You do not know how the photographic act will be interpreted.

Some prefer to stay away from children because they are too sensitive subjecs. I do not think that’s the case. I just think that the reaction (if there is a reaction) may be more epidermal because we deal with offsprings of people. Personally, I am naturally attracted to children on the street. I like their candor and their joie de vivre. They are unpredictable and always offer us interesting situations to photograph. Children see life as a game and are constantly having fun. Quite often I try to photograph them in a discreet way without arousing the suspicions of the parents or otherwise I show the parents that the situation seems to me amusing and that is the reason why I make a picture. The smile often allows to tacitly validate the photographic act. This is the case for this photo below made in Bath during my recent visit to UK. I saw this mom playing with her three daughters in the street. When I saw this scene, I rushed on it and took the picture smiling because I was really amused by this scene. The mother gave me back that smile because she knew I was not a threat.

Let’s go back to the opening photo of this Blog. Here, I operated in a discreet way without the parents suspecting that I was taking the little girl in photo. My little Ricoh GR makes me very discreet and especially harmless. I avoid being intrusive with children, preferring to keep a little distance. I tried to take a photo while trying to capture an interesting attitude, but I had a lot of trouble. I followed them a bit because the dad took his little girl on his shoulders and I was waiting for something to happen. Like very often in the street, nothing happened. We went up the street Gaston de Saporta, then we passed in front of the cathedral. I thought at that moment that there was nothing to wait. That I would not have my picture. It was at this moment that the father and the little girl turned around, finally offering me this interesting picture. I love this picture because there is a lot of simplicity in this one. It is a photo that breathes the joy of life and the little girl stands out perfectly on the sky with its windmill.

All the pictures were made with the Ricoh GR and the Ricoh GRD 4.